Good teaching is technology neutral
I’ve just been reading Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach’s post Letter to my colleagues, and some of the ideas in there made me feel a little uncomfortable. My discomfort stems from some concerns I’ve had recently about some of the comments I’ve read on twitter and in various blogs. Maybe I’m imagining it – I hope I am – but there seems to be an increase in some subtle teacher bashing by implying that teachers are an impediment to educational reform, if not an impediment to learning. I think that this is absolute nonsense. If there is a need for revision of the way young people are taught in schools, and I happen to think that there is, then the change will be implemented by teachers, not in spite of them.
Here’s one of the statements that made me uneasy:
I am often asked as I travel to various places to present why I would spend so much time talking about technology knowing that with outsourcing and such that I am undermining job security in that computers could replace teachers. To that I respond, If you can be replaced by a computer then you probably should be! The truth is that technology will never replace teachers, however teachers who know how to use technology effectively to help their students connect and collaborate together online will replace those who do not.
Time for some disclosure of hypocrisy before I continue – I’ve probably said things along this line before. I’ve probably said many things that, in hindsight, seem completely misguided. But when I read this, I thought that we could restate the last phrase to read “teachers who know how to effectively help their students connect and collaborate together will set the example for those who do not.” It’s not about the technology per se, but what we do with it.
Teacher will be/is being redefined. (Lord knows it is time- while the rest of society has changed in its response to technology, education has remained timeless the last 100 years.) What we have to do is ask ourselves what principled changes need to take place in order to remain relevant in the lives of the students we teach?
I don’t believe that teacher or teaching is being redefined. A teacher is someone who teaches which is to say that they facilitate student learning. I would agree that education needs to respond as a result of changing technology and that principled changes should occur but I think those changes are curricular, not pedagogical.
At the end of the post, I was heartened to read:
And teachers need to be driving these discussions and this change- not policy makers. However, it will require you to redefine yourself. It will require you to unlearn and relearn which means an implementation dip in terms of personal power and knowledge
Yes. Absolutely yes that teachers need to be driving these discussions. I would hasten to add that the discussion should be open to all teachers – technocritics and technophilics alike. Also, I would contend that I don’t need to be redefined, although I am the first to admit that my practice can always be refined. I think that this is one of the hallmarks of a professional teacher – continual refinement of our practice.
Maybe I’m misreading the post. If this is the case, Sheryl, I hope you will forgive my misunderstandings and try to help me understand. As I get older, my belief in the professionalism and good judgement of teachers continues to grow. I think that any changes that are needed will be implemented by teachers but as I stated earlier, I think these changes need to be curricular, not pedagogical. And I think that good pedagogy must be flexible so that the learning needs of the students are our first consideration; the resources, practices and technologies we use to enable student learning are secondary to those needs.
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Hi Rob,
I agree with you – that “the change will be implemented by teachers” and that “teachers need to drive these discussions”.
Saying that teachers will be replaced by computers is as ridiculous to me as saying that a mother will be replaced by a Roomba and a new dishwasher…
That being said, though, here’s the biggest thing I’ve learned and changed about my parenting: I’ve realized that I don’t control my children and I have as much (or more) to learn from them as I do to teach to them. I no longer believe that I am the source of all information for them, nor am I the “expert”.
http://www.iwasthinking.ca/2008/03/26/dont-worry-mom/
And I think teachers are making the same kind of shift. They are no longer the source of all content and the deliverers of curriculum – after all, kids now have Google.
From that perspective, I agree with Sheryl’s comments – a teacher who does nothing but teach the curriculum (i.e. deliver content) could indeed be replaced by a computer. And, of course, I’ve never seen it that black and white – there are no teachers that I’ve met that do nothing but teach curriculum! So we just need to recognize that we’re all on this journey and we can all learn & change & get better.
What we all, as parents and teachers, are changing has more to do with learning along with our children – guiding them, mentoring them, showing them how to learn and to assess information. We coach them through observation, participation, caring and relationships. We model for them what it means to be human, to make mistakes and try again, to grasp hold of those learning opportunities, to put relationships and community ahead of greed and self interest.
That is the shift and the change that I see happening in education and our homes and the world at large!
Our children are leading the charge, teachers and parents are right in the thick of it with them – and we need to drag along our governments and policy makers so that we create systems that support us, rather than fight us!
And that has nothing – AND EVERYTHING to do with technology!
Computers, the internet, Google, wikipedia, web2.0 – these have all come together to form this world we (and our children) live in.
Trying to deny that is putting our heads in the sand – and it’s irresponsible of us (either as teachers or parents) to leave our children out there, trying to figure it out on their own!
Not, it’s not about the technology – it’s about what we do with it. http://www.iwasthinking.ca/2008/10/09/its-not-about-the-technology/
But this is not an either-or conversation – we need BOTH in this world of ours!
We need good teaching, good parenting AND technology tools. Our children are going there, with or without us – I, for one, am going to make darned sure that I’m there right along side of them!
Hmmm… that probably should have been a post, rather than a comment!
Thanks for listening!
Heidi Hass Gable - 2008/12/17 at 02:52
Hi Rob,
I agree with you – that “the change will be implemented by teachers” and that “teachers need to drive these discussions”.
Saying that teachers will be replaced by computers is as ridiculous to me as saying that a mother will be replaced by a Roomba and a new dishwasher…
That being said, though, here’s the biggest thing I’ve learned and changed about my parenting: I’ve realized that I don’t control my children and I have as much (or more) to learn from them as I do to teach to them. I no longer believe that I am the source of all information for them, nor am I the “expert”.
http://www.iwasthinking.ca/2008/03/26/dont-worry-mom/
And I think teachers are making the same kind of shift. They are no longer the source of all content and the deliverers of curriculum – after all, kids now have Google.
From that perspective, I agree with Sheryl’s comments – a teacher who does nothing but teach the curriculum (i.e. deliver content) could indeed be replaced by a computer. And, of course, I’ve never seen it that black and white – there are no teachers that I’ve met that do nothing but teach curriculum! So we just need to recognize that we’re all on this journey and we can all learn & change & get better.
What we all, as parents and teachers, are changing has more to do with learning along with our children – guiding them, mentoring them, showing them how to learn and to assess information. We coach them through observation, participation, caring and relationships. We model for them what it means to be human, to make mistakes and try again, to grasp hold of those learning opportunities, to put relationships and community ahead of greed and self interest.
That is the shift and the change that I see happening in education and our homes and the world at large!
Our children are leading the charge, teachers and parents are right in the thick of it with them – and we need to drag along our governments and policy makers so that we create systems that support us, rather than fight us!
And that has nothing – AND EVERYTHING to do with technology!
Computers, the internet, Google, wikipedia, web2.0 – these have all come together to form this world we (and our children) live in.
Trying to deny that is putting our heads in the sand – and it’s irresponsible of us (either as teachers or parents) to leave our children out there, trying to figure it out on their own!
Not, it’s not about the technology – it’s about what we do with it. http://www.iwasthinking.ca/2008/10/09/its-not-about-the-technology/
But this is not an either-or conversation – we need BOTH in this world of ours!
We need good teaching, good parenting AND technology tools. Our children are going there, with or without us – I, for one, am going to make darned sure that I’m there right along side of them!
Hmmm… that probably should have been a post, rather than a comment!
Thanks for listening!
Heidi Hass Gable - 2008/12/17 at 02:52
I reread the paragraphs where you felt I might have been engaging in “subtle teacher bashing by implying that teachers are an impediment to educational reform” and just didn’t see it. I have always said and say it again now, teachers are at the heart of reform. All teacher reform needs to start with the teacher. I believe in mutual accountability, not mandated. So if I came across in a way that seemed to disrespect teachers then please forgive me, it is just poor crafting of sentences and not my heart’s intent.
Restating one of my phrases to read “teachers who know how to effectively help their students connect and collaborate together will set the example for those who do not” is fine, I agree with that as well, however I do feel a teacher would be remiss if she/he didn’t understand that emerging technologies make connecting and collaborating together (especially globally) crazy easy. Part of being an effective teacher is in not only knowing the content and pedagogy, but also the tools and materials available to support delivery of the curriculum.
Today’s student(and teacher)need to understand how to use these technologies to find and vett their own learning networks in safe and ethical ways. Living in an era where knowledge simply can’t be contained in a single textbook dictates that teachers and students alike understand how to leverage the tools to find the subject matter experts needed to learn what we are passionate about or has been assigned us to learn.
We probably do disagree about teachers and teaching being redefined. I know I have been redefined and I see myself still first as a teacher. For me personally, I am no longer a “teacher” per se, but a community member. I see my classroom as having shifted into a learning community, one where all of us are learning from each other. The lines/roles of teacher/student have become redefined into co-learners. If that offends your vision of teacher, then I apologize- it wasn’t my intent.
Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach - 2008/12/17 at 05:07
I reread the paragraphs where you felt I might have been engaging in “subtle teacher bashing by implying that teachers are an impediment to educational reform” and just didn’t see it. I have always said and say it again now, teachers are at the heart of reform. All teacher reform needs to start with the teacher. I believe in mutual accountability, not mandated. So if I came across in a way that seemed to disrespect teachers then please forgive me, it is just poor crafting of sentences and not my heart’s intent.
Restating one of my phrases to read “teachers who know how to effectively help their students connect and collaborate together will set the example for those who do not” is fine, I agree with that as well, however I do feel a teacher would be remiss if she/he didn’t understand that emerging technologies make connecting and collaborating together (especially globally) crazy easy. Part of being an effective teacher is in not only knowing the content and pedagogy, but also the tools and materials available to support delivery of the curriculum.
Today’s student(and teacher)need to understand how to use these technologies to find and vett their own learning networks in safe and ethical ways. Living in an era where knowledge simply can’t be contained in a single textbook dictates that teachers and students alike understand how to leverage the tools to find the subject matter experts needed to learn what we are passionate about or has been assigned us to learn.
We probably do disagree about teachers and teaching being redefined. I know I have been redefined and I see myself still first as a teacher. For me personally, I am no longer a “teacher” per se, but a community member. I see my classroom as having shifted into a learning community, one where all of us are learning from each other. The lines/roles of teacher/student have become redefined into co-learners. If that offends your vision of teacher, then I apologize- it wasn’t my intent.
Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach - 2008/12/17 at 05:07
Great post and follow-up comments. This makes for interesting reading and discussion.
My story is that I was a teacher (into Teaching & Learning) before becoming a teacher (into Teaching & Learning enhanced with ICT). This shift occurred slowly, largely due to my perception of myself as someone not into ICT. The change towards seeing the uses of various technologies first arose from shift in thinking about teaching & learning – challenging the transmission model, which we so easily fall into as a default position, to seeing learning occuring through all sorts of interactions within and outside the classroom, not just teacher to student. Naturally from this, it followed that in a class technologies can be used, must be used, to fully allow this to occur.
The thing is, I know technology evangelicals can sometimes put teachers off with a flurry of flash tools and I wonder if there needs to be more challenging of underlying beliefs about teaching and learning first, or at least along-side, the technology drive. I sometimes feel things are a bit imbalanced in this respect, as we get wowed by the next gadget or tool. These are nothing without considered use of how they can enhance student learning.
craig steed - 2008/12/17 at 19:06
Great post and follow-up comments. This makes for interesting reading and discussion.
My story is that I was a teacher (into Teaching & Learning) before becoming a teacher (into Teaching & Learning enhanced with ICT). This shift occurred slowly, largely due to my perception of myself as someone not into ICT. The change towards seeing the uses of various technologies first arose from shift in thinking about teaching & learning – challenging the transmission model, which we so easily fall into as a default position, to seeing learning occuring through all sorts of interactions within and outside the classroom, not just teacher to student. Naturally from this, it followed that in a class technologies can be used, must be used, to fully allow this to occur.
The thing is, I know technology evangelicals can sometimes put teachers off with a flurry of flash tools and I wonder if there needs to be more challenging of underlying beliefs about teaching and learning first, or at least along-side, the technology drive. I sometimes feel things are a bit imbalanced in this respect, as we get wowed by the next gadget or tool. These are nothing without considered use of how they can enhance student learning.
craig steed - 2008/12/17 at 19:06
Thanks for your comments, all of you. I appreciate the time and effort you put into sharing your ideas.
Heidi, yes indeed that could have been a blog post but I’m glad you left such a thoughtful comment here. I hope you’ll carry on the conversation and have more to write about this in your own blog. You describe teachers and parents are learning along with the kids as being a change or shift in learning. I think that this has always been the case. We are just more willing to admit it to ourselves and, more significantly, to our students and children.
Sheryl, I want to apologize if I came across as being snarky or mean-spirited. I regret that I used the phrase “teacher bashing” when describing your work; anyone who has read your blog or is acquainted with your work knows what a great supporter of teacher you are. I think we probably agree on more that we disagree. I think that some of the new tools available to us do indeed support and facilitate student learning. I do think that teachers should understand that “emerging technologies make connecting and collaborating together (especially globally) crazy easy”. I become concerned, however, when teachers who understand the tools but don’t use them are marginalized and dismissed as being ineffective and needing to be replaced (and we may well disagree on this point, but I welcome the chance to continue to discuss this with you).
Craig, I think I have some of the same questions as you do. I’m particularly glad, however, that you put student learning as they central consideration as we explore these ideas.
Again, thank you for the comments. You have all given me much to think about.
Rob - 2008/12/18 at 15:59
Thanks for your comments, all of you. I appreciate the time and effort you put into sharing your ideas.
Heidi, yes indeed that could have been a blog post but I’m glad you left such a thoughtful comment here. I hope you’ll carry on the conversation and have more to write about this in your own blog. You describe teachers and parents are learning along with the kids as being a change or shift in learning. I think that this has always been the case. We are just more willing to admit it to ourselves and, more significantly, to our students and children.
Sheryl, I want to apologize if I came across as being snarky or mean-spirited. I regret that I used the phrase “teacher bashing” when describing your work; anyone who has read your blog or is acquainted with your work knows what a great supporter of teacher you are. I think we probably agree on more that we disagree. I think that some of the new tools available to us do indeed support and facilitate student learning. I do think that teachers should understand that “emerging technologies make connecting and collaborating together (especially globally) crazy easy”. I become concerned, however, when teachers who understand the tools but don’t use them are marginalized and dismissed as being ineffective and needing to be replaced (and we may well disagree on this point, but I welcome the chance to continue to discuss this with you).
Craig, I think I have some of the same questions as you do. I’m particularly glad, however, that you put student learning as they central consideration as we explore these ideas.
Again, thank you for the comments. You have all given me much to think about.
Rob - 2008/12/18 at 15:59
Hi Rob,
I agree that children have always forced us to learn along with them and perhaps you’re right that the change is really only about us adults admitting it.
However you want to describe it, I still believe that’s a huge change that our society has to make – both as parents and as teachers.
The accepted, commonplace parenting strategies are still very much about “control over” our children, not based on a foundation of respect and “learning with.” Skinner’s behaviourism is still very much alive and well – just look around at the parenting seminars and books, articles and blogs. Time-outs, rewards and punishment are all about control and power.
I see the same common societal beliefs showing up in our classrooms. Last year, if my son got three check marks for good behaviour on the white board, then he got a sticker on the chart and once he had ten stickers, he got to pick a prize from the bucket. And that works (on the surface) for lots of kids – although what hidden messages do they absorb?
Now, I happen to be both fortunate and “cursed”
to have very strong-willed children – and there is no carrot or stick that works for them. In that classroom last year, my son only once got to pick a prize out of the bucket – and I think that was just because the teacher finally felt sorry for him! But give my son some encouragement, give him ownership over his own behaviour, remind him quietly that I know he can do it – and he thrives. Give him hugs and love and honour his creative spirit instead of reprimanding him for daydreaming – and he blossoms.
Is it easy? No, of course not!
Does it happen already? Most definitely – there are both parents and teachers who are leading the way by empowering and respecting children.
AND we have a long way to go to get to a place where all children are respected and supported to be their true selves!
Can you tell this an area of passion for me?
Thanks for listening!
And Happy New Year!
Heidi Hass Gable - 2009/01/03 at 18:07
Hi Rob,
I agree that children have always forced us to learn along with them and perhaps you’re right that the change is really only about us adults admitting it.
However you want to describe it, I still believe that’s a huge change that our society has to make – both as parents and as teachers.
The accepted, commonplace parenting strategies are still very much about “control over” our children, not based on a foundation of respect and “learning with.” Skinner’s behaviourism is still very much alive and well – just look around at the parenting seminars and books, articles and blogs. Time-outs, rewards and punishment are all about control and power.
I see the same common societal beliefs showing up in our classrooms. Last year, if my son got three check marks for good behaviour on the white board, then he got a sticker on the chart and once he had ten stickers, he got to pick a prize from the bucket. And that works (on the surface) for lots of kids – although what hidden messages do they absorb?
Now, I happen to be both fortunate and “cursed”
to have very strong-willed children – and there is no carrot or stick that works for them. In that classroom last year, my son only once got to pick a prize out of the bucket – and I think that was just because the teacher finally felt sorry for him! But give my son some encouragement, give him ownership over his own behaviour, remind him quietly that I know he can do it – and he thrives. Give him hugs and love and honour his creative spirit instead of reprimanding him for daydreaming – and he blossoms.
Is it easy? No, of course not!
Does it happen already? Most definitely – there are both parents and teachers who are leading the way by empowering and respecting children.
AND we have a long way to go to get to a place where all children are respected and supported to be their true selves!
Can you tell this an area of passion for me?
Thanks for listening!
And Happy New Year!
Heidi Hass Gable - 2009/01/03 at 18:07